Occupational therapy benchmarks within orthopedic (hip) critical pathways.

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Occupational Therapy Practice

Background:

• Critical pathways are increasingly used in orthopedic care to standardize patient management.
• Occupational therapy plays a role in improving patient function and independence during recovery.
• Understanding current benchmarks is essential for refining these pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine patient performance benchmarks for occupational therapy within orthopedic (hip) critical pathways.
• To identify commonalities and differences in occupational therapy benchmarks, involved disciplines, and allowable variances.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of eight orthopedic (hip) critical pathways from hospital and rehabilitation settings.
• Development of a comparison and contrast matrix to review occupational therapy benchmarks and related data.

Main Results:

• Nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy were consistently involved disciplines.
• Activities of daily living (self-care) and functional transfers were the most common occupational therapy benchmarks.
• Significant variation existed in other benchmarks and their frequency of use across pathways.

Conclusions:

• While occupational therapy benchmarks are present in orthopedic hip critical pathways, their definition and role require further development.
• Standardization and clearer articulation of occupational therapy's contribution can enhance critical pathway effectiveness.